[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 133 (Friday, August 1, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5341-S5342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3594. Mr. SANDERS (for Mr. Welch) submitted an amendment intended 
to be proposed by Mr. Sanders to the bill S. 2296, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle C of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1230B. LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS TO REDUCE NUMBER OF 
                   MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES SERVING IN EUROPE.

       (a) Limitation.-- None of the funds authorized to be 
     appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act or any 
     other Act for the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2026 
     may be used to reduce the total number of members of the 
     United States Armed Forces serving on active duty who are 
     deployed to Europe below the number that is 5% less than the 
     number of such persons who were so deployed on January 1, 
     2023, unless--
       (1) the Secretary of Defense first submits to the 
     appropriate committees of Congress a report on--
       (A) the effect of such a reduction on preserving deterrence 
     in Europe and Eurasia;
       (B) the anticipated reaction of the Russian Federation and 
     the People's Republic of China to such reduction;
       (C) the effect of such a reduction on increasing incentives 
     for European countries to develop independent nuclear weapons 
     capabilities;
       (D) the effect of such a reduction on the long-term 
     military and economic partnership between the United States 
     and Europe;
       (E) the effect of such a reduction on the military balance 
     between the United States and the People's Republic of China 
     and between the United States and the Russian Federation; and
       (2) the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the 
     Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, first certifies to the 
     appropriate committees of Congress that--
       (A) such a reduction is in the national security interests 
     of the United States and will not significantly undermine the 
     security of United States allies in the region;
       (B) the Secretary has consulted, as appropriate, with 
     allies of the United States regarding such a reduction;
       (C) Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, 
     Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Romania would be 
     fully capable of defending themselves and deterring a 
     conflict in Europe following such a reduction; and
       (D) such a reduction supports and is consistent with the 
     most current national defense strategy under section 113 of 
     title 10, United States Code.
       (b) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
     means--

[[Page S5342]]

       (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
     Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
     Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     House of Representatives.
                                 ______